PUBLICATION

Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Is an Essential and Direct Driver of Myelin Gene Expression and Myelinogenesis

Authors
Tawk, M., Makoukji, J., Belle, M., Fonte, C., Trousson, A., Hawkins, T., Li, H., Ghandour, S., Schumacher, M., and Massaad, C.
ID
ZDB-PUB-110325-4
Date
2011
Source
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience   31(10): 3729-3742 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Hawkins, Tom, Li, Huiliang, Tawk, Marcel
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Animals
  • Cell Line
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Gene Expression
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • In Situ Hybridization
  • Mice
  • Myelin P0 Protein/genetics
  • Myelin P0 Protein/metabolism
  • Myelin Proteins/genetics
  • Myelin Proteins/metabolism
  • Myelin Sheath/genetics*
  • Myelin Sheath/metabolism
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Signal Transduction/physiology*
  • Wnt Proteins/genetics
  • Wnt Proteins/metabolism*
  • Zebrafish
  • beta Catenin/genetics
  • beta Catenin/metabolism*
PubMed
21389228 Full text @ J. Neurosci.
Abstract
Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays a major role in the development of the nervous system and contributes to neuronal plasticity. However, its role in myelination remains unclear. Here, we identify the Wnt/β-catenin pathway as an essential driver of myelin gene expression. The selective inhibition of Wnt components by small interfering RNA or dominant-negative forms blocks the expression of myelin protein zero (MPZ) and peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) in mouse Schwann cells and proteolipid protein in mouse oligodendrocytes. Moreover, the activation of Wnt signaling by recombinant Wnt1 ligand increases by threefold the transcription of myelin genes and enhances the binding of β-catenin to T-cell factor/lymphoid-enhancer factor transcription factors present in the vicinity of the MPZ and PMP22 promoters. Most important, loss-of-function analyses in zebrafish embryos show, in vivo, a key role for Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the expression of myelin genes and in myelin sheath compaction, both in the peripheral and central nervous systems. Inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling resulted in hypomyelination, without affecting Schwann cell and oligodendrocyte generation or axonal integrity. The present findings attribute to Wnt/β-catenin pathway components an essential role in myelin gene expression and myelinogenesis.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping